Specious Poisons?: Reputation, Gender, and Democratic Politics (Under the Direction of Susan Bickford.)
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SPECIOUS POISONS?: REPUTATION, GENDER, AND DEMOCRATIC POLITICS Erin N. Taylor A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Political Science. Chapel Hill 2006 Approved by Advisor: Susan Bickford Reader: Michael Lienesch Reader: John McGowan Reader: Jeff Spinner-Halev Reader: Marco Steenbergen ABSTRACT ERIN N. TAYLOR: Specious Poisons?: Reputation, Gender, and Democratic Politics (Under the direction of Susan Bickford.) Suggesting that reputation and gossip have been largely ignored by contemporary political theorists, I argue that both reputation and the gossip that helps to constitute it are important aspects of our communal and political lives. I begin with the work of Jean-Jacques Rousseau as representative of a larger early modern discourse that identified the desire for reputation as one that is central to human beings. Arguing that this desire for reputation simultaneously poses great dangers and great power for political communities, Rousseau’s vision urges careful attention to political arrangements as a way of harnessing the positive effects of the desire for reputation. In my second chapter, I move to a focus on the relationship between reputation and gender, interrogating the necessity that women maintain spotless sexual reputations (a central feature to Rousseau’s political schema) in light of both Mary Wollstonecraft’s critique of Rousseau as well as my examination of the fate of Rousseau’s heroines. Turning to the work of Harriet Taylor and John Stuart Mill, I contend that their arguments about the stifling effects of reputational politics for individual liberty point to a nuanced understanding of the differential effects of reputation for individuals in various echelons of society. Chapter 4 takes up George Orwell’s novel Burmese Days as well as his essay “Shooting an Elephant” to think about the ways in which reputation and gossip work in contexts of radical differences of power. While both of these works are situated in the colonial context, I argue that Orwell’s observations about the functions of ii gossip and reputation within relationships of incommensurate power are instructive beyond the colonial setting. Finally, in Chapter 5, I turn to contemporary political events to explore the previous chapters’ themes of community, gender, individual liberty, and power through the lens of sexual reputation and the gossip that surfaced during the Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky scandal. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I cannot measure my gratitude to Susan Bickford, who has been a constant and patient source of support, counsel, and encouragement throughout both this project and my entire graduate school career. Her influence on me as a scholar, a teacher, and a person extends far beyond the pages of this work. Michael Lienesch, Steve Leonard, and Jeff Spinner-Halev have each contributed guidance and critique for which I owe them many thanks. John McGowan and Marco Steenbergen rescued me at the zero hour. I pledge to remember their generosity and to repay it to hapless graduate students in the future. I was lucky enough to receive advice, friendship, and inspiration from Dustin Howes, Elizabeth Markovits, and Carisa Showden; long talks and email exchanges with Liz have saved my sanity on more than one occasion. My parents, Linda and Richard Taylor, who often annoyed me in my darkest days with their unflagging optimism and blind confidence in my ability to finish, have, despite this, helped me more than I can say. Joyce Beekman and Holly Lux-Sullivan supplied quiet and steady friendship and support in all aspects of my life, as well as welcome distractions when needed. Finally, I want to thank Lorelei (or whatever your name is) for providing me with the ultimate motivation and Sean, for absolutely everything. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................................................................1 Defining Gossip and Reputation..........................................................................................................................................6 1. DEVOURING US ALL: ROUSSEAU, REPUTATION, AND THE SHAPING OF COMMUNITY.............................................................................................................11 Worst Among Citizens: The Dangers of Reputation in Commercial Society............................13 Social Losses........................................................................................................................................................................15 Loss of Moral Autonomy...........................................................................................................................................18 Loss of Personal Autonomy.....................................................................................................................................19 Loss of Happiness............................................................................................................................................................21 Best Among Citizens: Reputation’s Democratic Possibilities...............................................................23 Topics of Conversation: The Role of Gossip......................................................................................................26 Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................................................................31 2. SPECIOUS POISONS: ROUSSEAU, WOLLSTONECRAFT, AND THE GENDER OF REPUTATION..............................................................................................................32 Outside Themselves: Rousseau’s Women and Reputation...................................................................33 Running the Same Course: The Fates of Julie and Sophie....................................................................38 Julie and Clarens...............................................................................................................................................................39 Sophie in Paris....................................................................................................................................................................47 Preserving a Good Reputation: Wollstonecraft’s Critique of Rousseau.....................................49 Conclusion..................................................................................................................................................................................55 v 3. BOWED TO THE YOKE: HARRIET TAYLOR AND JOHN STUART MILL ON REPUTATION AND INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY.....................................................................................59 “A Double Star”: Harriet Taylor and John Stuart Mill.............................................................................60 Public Opinion and the Tyranny of the Majority..........................................................................................67 Public Opinion and the Subjection of Women...............................................................................................72 Harnessing the Power of Public Opinion.............................................................................................................76 Conclusion..................................................................................................................................................................................82 4. A DIFFICULT BUSINESS: REPUTATION, GOSSIP, AND POWER IN GEORGE ORWELL’S BURMA...........................................................................................................................86 Above Suspicion: The Reputations of the Powerful..................................................................................91 A Difficult Business: The Reputations of the Colonized.......................................................................96 What Shame: Women and Reputation..................................................................................................................99 Like the Crocodile: Gossip and the Possibility of Agency.................................................................103 Conclusion...............................................................................................................................................................................106 5. “THANK GOD FOR PUBLIC OPINION”: GOSSIP, REPUTATION, AND THE CLINTON/LEWINSKY SCANDAL..........................................................................................109 Political Science, Pundits, and the Clinton Imbroglio...........................................................................110 Electing Clinton and Lewinsky: Why this Scandal?................................................................................115 Gossip as Politically Bankrupt?: The Scandal and our Political Community......................119 Gossip, Reputation, and Power in the Clinton/Lewinsky Scandal...............................................125 Whatever Happened to Monica Lewinsky?: The Effect of the Scandal on Individuals........................................................................................................................................................................129